Gemini Man (film)
| story = | producer = | starring = | music = Lorne Balfe | cinematography = Dion Beebe | editing = Tim Squyres | studio = | distributor = Paramount Pictures | released = | runtime = 117 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = $138 million | gross = $173.3 million }} Gemini Man is a 2019 American action thriller film directed by Ang Lee and written by David Benioff, Billy Ray, and Darren Lemke. Starring Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, and Benedict Wong, the film follows a hitman who is targeted by a younger clone of himself while on the run from the government. Originally conceived in 1997, the film went through development hell for nearly 20 years. Several directors, including Tony Scott, Curtis Hanson, and Joe Carnahan, were all attached at some point and numerous actors, including Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, and Sean Connery, were set to star. In 2016, Skydance Media purchased the rights to the screenplay (which had been through several rewrites) from Disney and in October 2017, Ang Lee signed on to direct for Skydance with Paramount handling the distribution rights. Filming took place from February through May 2018. Gemini Man premiered at the Zurich Film Festival on October 1, 2019 and was theatrically released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on October 11, 2019, in standard 2D, Dolby Cinema, and IMAX as well as in HFR (high frame rate) "3D+" on select screens (including 16 Dolby Cinema and 47 IMAX with Laser screens worldwide). The film received generally negative reviews from critics for its script and plot, although the performances were praised. The de-aging of Smith and the high frame-rate of 120 FPS also drew a mixed response, with some critics praising them as technical achievements, while others felt they were unconvincing. It has grossed $173 million against an estimated budget of $138 million with projected losses as high as $75 million. Plot Henry Brogan, an aging former Marine Scout Sniper who now works as an assassin for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), is sent on a mission to assassinate an anonymous terrorist aboard a bullet train. During the mission, Henry's spotter warns him of a young girl approaching the target, causing Henry to delay his shot until the last second, shooting the man in the neck despite aiming for his head. Disillusioned with killing, Henry retires from government service. While adjusting to retirement, Henry meets boat rental manager Dani and reconnects with an old friend, Jack, who reveals that an informant named Yuri told him that the man Henry killed was innocent; demanding proof, Henry has Jack arrange a meeting with Yuri. In retaliation for Henry knowing their deception, agency director Lassiter plans to kill him; Clay Varris, head of a top-secret black ops unit codenamed "GEMINI", requests permission to eliminate him but is denied. Realizing Dani is a fellow agent sent to monitor him, Henry befriends her. After his home is broken into by government agents, Henry calls his spotter, who is killed along with Jack and his mistress. Henry warns Dani about the attack and they manage to kill the assassins sent after them, learning the agency wants them both dead. Escaping to Colombia, Henry and Dani go to the home of Henry's former colleague Baron, and plan to meet with Yuri for further options. Meanwhile, Clay dispatches his top assassin to kill Henry. Fighting him off, Henry realizes the assassin bears an uncanny resemblance to himself as a young man, with a similar skill set. When the injured assassin arrives at a safehouse, he is revealed to be Clay's adopted "son" Junior. Although he is curious about his similarities to Henry, Junior is ordered to finish the job. Henry is also troubled by his similarities to the assassin, whom Dani suggests might be his child despite Henry's denials. Testing DNA samples recovered from Junior, Dani discovers that his and Henry's DNA are identical – Junior is Henry's younger clone. Desperate for answers, Henry meets Yuri in Hungary, and learns of the cloning project and that the man he killed was one of the project's scientists. Having designed a method to produce clones devoid of pain or emotion, the scientist tried to leave the project and was killed upon being discovered. To try to get Junior to turn away from Clay's intentions, Henry calls Lassiter, who agrees to send Junior to bring Dani safely back to the United States. Collecting Dani, Junior sets up a trap for Henry, but she warns him via a covert listening device hidden in her tooth. Ambushing the younger assassin, Henry explains to Junior that he is a clone, convincing him by revealing their similar traits that no one else could know. Escaping back to GEMINI, a heartbroken Junior confronts Clay, who claims that he must defeat Henry in order to surpass him. Finding Henry after sneaking out of GEMINI, Junior allies with him to bring down Clay, while Henry urges Junior to quit in order to become someone better. Baron is killed in an ambush ordered by Clay, with Junior knocking Clay unconscious after a brief hand-to-hand fight. After defeating a wave of GEMINI operatives, Henry, Dani, and Junior face another operative with special body armor who feels no pain or emotions. After shooting them repeatedly and along with several secondary explosions, they manage to kill it, They remove his helmet and he is discovered to be a younger clone, with all emotion and ability to feel pain removed. A defeated Clay tries to justify his actions towards Junior, who almost shoots him. Henry persuades Junior otherwise and kills Clay himself, having already lived with the heavy burden. Assured that there are no more clones that were produced and that they are finally free from harm's way, Henry later meets with Junior, who has enrolled into college under the assumed identity of "Jackson Brogan" after Henry's mother's surname. Together, Henry and Dani plan Jackson's future. Cast * Will Smith as Henry Brogan, a former Marine Scout Sniper who now works as an assassin for the DIA. Henry is generally regarded as the best killer of his generation. ** Smith also portrays Jackson Brogan (codenamed "Junior"), a cloned assassin of Henry sent after him, and "Senior", another cloned assassin sent after him. Smith was "digitally de-aged" through the use of motion capture and computer generated imagery. * Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Danny Zakarewski, a Navy veteran and DIA agent who helps Henry after he saves her from being assassinated. * Clive Owen as Clayton "Clay" Varris, the ruthless director of GEMINI who creates Junior to "retire" Henry and take his place. * Benedict Wong as Baron, a former Marine colleague of Henry's who works as a tour operator. * Ralph Brown as Del Patterson, Henry's handler at the DIA. * Linda Emond as Janet Lassiter, the director of the DIA. * Douglas Hodge as Jack Willis, a former Marine colleague of Henry's. * Ilia Volok as Yuri Kovacs, a Russian operative who has been secretly monitoring GEMINI's history. * E. J. Bonilla as Marino, a DIA agent killed for his association with Henry. * Björn Freiberg as Keller Production Development and pre-production Gemini Man, based on a concept by Darren Lemke, was originally sold to be produced and released by Walt Disney Pictures with Don Murphy to produce and Tony Scott to direct in 1997. Scott, Curtis Hanson, and Joe Carnahan had previously been attached to direct the film. At the time, Disney's now-defunct animation/visual effects department The Secret Lab developed a test short, known as Human Face Project, to create visual effects for the film, which would involve creating a younger CG clone of the main actor. Harrison Ford, Robert de Niro, Al Pacino, Michael Douglas, Chris O'Donnell, Mel Gibson, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner, Pierce Brosnan, Bruce Willis, John Travolta, Jon Voight, Denzel Washington, Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, Tom Cruise, Clint Eastwood, Gerard Butler, Nick Nolte, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Idris Elba, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Sean Connery were all attached to the lead role. The film never progressed at Disney, though, as the technology was not developed enough at that time for the film to be produced. Lemke's screenplay has since been rewritten by Billy Ray, Andrew Niccol, David Benioff, Brian Helgeland, Jonathan Hensleigh, and the writing team of Stephen J. Rivele & Christopher Wilkinson. In 2016, Skydance Media acquired the film from Disney, with Jerry Bruckheimer producing, along with Skydance's David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger. Murphy, Mike Stenson, Chad Oman and Brian Bell and Fosun's Guo Guangchang would serve as executive producers. Ang Lee was hired to direct the film for Paramount Pictures and Skydance in April 2017 and Fosun Pictures came on board to finance soon after. Will Smith was cast in the lead role, and a release date set for October 11, 2019. In January 2018, Clive Owen and Mary Elizabeth Winstead were cast in the film, with Winstead winning the role over Tatiana Maslany. In February 2018, Benedict Wong joined the cast as filming began. Filming Principal production commenced on February 27, 2018, in Glennville, Georgia, and included locations in the city of Cartagena, Colombia. Filming continued in May 2018 at Széchenyi Thermal Bath in Budapest, Hungary. Like Lee's previous film Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, the film was shot digitally at an extra-high frame rate of 120 fps, modified for 3D, this time, on modified ARRI Alexa cameras mounted on STEREOTEC 3D Rigs. Visual effects The visual effects are provided by Weta Digital and supervised by Bill Westenhofer. Release Gemini Man was released in the United States on October 11, 2019 by Paramount Pictures. It was originally scheduled to be released on October 4, but Paramount pushed the film back for release a week later. It premiered at the Zurich Film Festival on October 1, 2019. Reception Box office , Gemini Man has grossed $48.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $124.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $173.2 million. It is estimated the film will need to gross around $275 million worldwide in order to break even. In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside The Addams Family and Jexi, and was originally projected to gross $24–29 million from 3,642 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $7.5 million on its first day, including $1.6 million from Thursday night previews, lowering weekend estimates to $20 million. It went on to debut to $20.5 million, finishing third at the box office. The low opening was blamed on poor critical response, the familiar premise and the over-performance of Joker. In its second weekend the film fell 58.6% to $8.9 million, finishing fifth. The film opened in five countries the week prior to its U.S. release and made $7 million, finishing first in each market: France ($3 million), Germany ($3 million) Switzerland ($434,000), Austria ($262,000) and Israel ($259,000, Lee's best opener ever in the country). In China the film debuted to $21 million, less than expected, getting upset by fellow new release Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Following its two-week running total of just $118 million, including an "underwhelming" $82 million overseas, The Hollywood Reporter estimated the film would lose Paramount and Skydance $75 million. Critical response On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 26% and an average rating of 4.68/10, based on 291 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "Gemini Man s impressive visuals are supported by some strong performances, but this sci-fi thriller is fatally undermined by a frustratingly subpar story." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 38 out of 100, based on 49 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars. Variety s Peter DeBruge called the film "a high-concept misfire" and wrote: "In practice, it's been a nearly impossible project to get made, passing through the hands of countless actors and falling through multiple times because the technology wasn't there yet. At least, that's been the excuse, although judging by the finished product, it was the script that never lived up to the promise of its premise." Ella Kemp of IndieWire gave the film a "C+", writing that "For Lee, it seems to make sense – the film welds concerns that have colored a number of his projects: the debate of Nature v Nurture; the alienation of a fraying man; the challenge of what digital filmmaking can do. On paper, Gemini Man tends to all three concerns, but in practice the film is impenetrable beyond its technological clout." Giving the film one star, Kevin Maher of The Times was unimpressed with the script and the 120fps shooting, writing "It keeps every detail in the frame (background and foreground) in vivid, garish focus at all times. Besides being aesthetically repellent (it's like 1980s children's telly or the worst wedding video yet)" and called the de-aging "alarmingly unconvincing". Accolades References External links * * Common Sense Media Age Rating Category:2019 films Category:2019 3D films Category:2010s action thriller films Category:2010s chase films Category:American films Category:American 3D films Category:American action thriller films Category:American chase films Category:English-language films Category:Films about cloning Category:Films directed by Ang Lee Category:Films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Category:Films with screenplays by Billy Ray Category:Films set in 1999 Category:Films set in 2019 Category:Films set in Atlanta Category:Films set in Belgium Category:Films set in Budapest Category:Films set in Colombia Category:Films set in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Films shot in Belgium Category:Films shot in Budapest Category:Films shot in Colombia Category:Films shot in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Paramount Pictures films Category:Skydance Media films Category:IMAX films Category:Techno-thriller films Category:Films produced by Will Smith